In Kazakhstan, a project has been proposed to introduce a single time zone throughout the country. A draft on the modification of the current Government decision of 23 November 2000 concerning the system of calculating time in Kazakhstan was published on the official website of the laws and regulations. According to this project, it is proposed to transfer to a single UTC+5 time zone from the night of February 29 to March 1, 2024, El.kz reports.
Experts of the working group of the Ministry of Trade and Integration, who were engaged in the development of this proposal, believe that the chosen UTC+5 time zone is the most consistent with natural time for most residents of different regions of Kazakhstan. They argue that using time zones as close to solar time as possible is important for the health, economy, and safety of the population.
It is noted that at present, some regions of the country live in disaccordance with their geographical time. A working group of 60 people, including members of parliament, was set up under the ministry to analyse these issues. The work of the group led to the preparation of a report on the time system, which was agreed with the Ministry of Health and research institutes. The conclusions of the working group confirmed the need to introduce a single UTC+5 time zone for the whole country.
Public discussion of draft resolution will last until December 22.